Understanding Alcohol Addiction and Help Someone

Most people can’t comprehend why someone continually drinks or does drugs because they have never suffered from addiction in the past. Quitting drugs or alcohol isn’t always as easy as it seems because people become mentally and physically addicted and breaking both addictions at one time can be very hard to do.

If you know someone that you love is suffering from
addiction, it’s important to take the time to understand what they are going
through so that you can give them the best help possible.

Addiction
Can Happen to Anyone

Addiction is not a sign that someone is weak. Many
people associate addiction with weakness because they assume that anyone can
just stop doing something if they really don’t want to do it.

There are many people who are battling alcohol addiction on a daily basis. Ben Affleckhas proven time and again that no amount of money can make you overcome an addiction.Demi Lovatois another celebrity who most people considered to have the world as her oyster and yet still relapsed after years of sobriety.

It’s important to realize that no one chooses to be
addicted to something. It’s something that they have to battle and overcome,
not just something they can stop doing one day because they feel like it.

Things
Can Get Bad Quickly

Addicts often live very unpredictable lives. They
may be sweet and cheery one minute only to turn cold and callus the next. Many
families become fearful of an addict in their life because they never know what
to expect from the person and always assume that every situation is going to
become a worst-case-scenario quickly.

It’s important to realize that some addicts need to
hit rock bottom before they can get the help that they need for their
addiction. If an addict you love starts to act out violently or makes threats
to you, don’t be afraid to call the police. Many families don’t call the police
on the addicts that they love because of guilt. They feel guilty that their
loved one could end up in jail for the things that they are doing.

Be
Supportive When They Want Help

Addicts often cry wolf a lot and claim they are going to do something, but then don’t do it. They say they are going to go to analcohol rehab LA treatment facility to get help for their addiction and then end up leaving early because things get too hard.

It can be hard to continually be supportive each
time your loved one says that they want to get clean but try to stand by them
as much as you can.

Believe it or not, knowing that they have the
support of their loved ones can make it easier for them to make the decision to
get the help that they need. You could try to find them a facility that is
nearby or one that has funding programs available to minimize the amount that
they have to pay toward the care that they need.

Rehab facilities provide people with the medications
they need to minimize their withdrawal symptoms, get the motivational support
they need, and help them learn tools they can use later on down the road to maintain
their sobriety.

Avoid
Creating Difficult Situations for Your Loved One

Many families expect their loved one to be able to
get their life back on track the day they get out of a rehab facility. This is
not always the case, though. It’s important to know that most people have
destroyed their life when they were doing drugs or drinking. They have to pick
up the pieces and get things back on track before they are able to start their
life over again.

If you want to help them, you can sit down and
create a detailed list of things that they know they need to do. Don’t be pushy
with them. Allow them to tell you what things they know they need to do and
then you can bring up suggestions of other things that may need to be addressed
if they are in a receptive place in life. It will be a touchy situation for
quite a while when someone is first recovering from an addiction because they must
learn how to live life sober.

Support
Their Need to Avoid Temptations

Avoiding drugs and alcohol aren’t easy to do for an addict. Addiction is a mental and physical beastthat can be hard to tame. Even though someone no longer has the physical addiction to drugs or alcohol, it doesn’t mean that they don’t still have the mental addiction. They may want to numb their feelings or numb physical pain that they have.

To support your loved one, consider going to group
meetings with them to meet and learn from other addicts. Being able to hear stories
from others can help to open your eyes up to what the addiction felt like for
your loved one. Many people become very callous to addicts that they love and
forget that it is an addiction that they can’t control. Having you there also
keeps them accountable because they have to go to the meetings if you are going
to be there. Having accountability can help them to stay sober for the long
run.

When the person is ready, be willing to provide them
with the support they need to get their life back on track. Consider taking
them to get clothes to wear on an interview, helping them to beef up their
resume, or simply go through a mock interview with them so that they feel
comfortable and ready for what they will face when they go to an interview for
a job.